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Letters Patent No. 82,7 24, dated October-6, 1868 v,nin-novni/inistr IN ror-uoors-l To ALL wHoMv 1T MAY ooNoERN:

I Be it known that I, JOH'H'L. LAY, of the city oi' Buffalo, in the county of Erie, and State'of New York', have invented a new andV useful Improvement in Toy-Hoops; and I do hereby declare that vthe followingl is a full and exact description thereof, reference being Vhad to the' accompanying drawings, making part of this specification, in which- Figure I is a side elevation of my improved hoop.

Figure II is a section of the same: e

Figure III is aA sectional view, showing a different mode of attach-ing'the handle.

Like letters ofreference designate corresponding parts in al1-the figures. v Y

My improvementl Yrelates to that class of toy-hoops designed for rolling on the ground, in which an image is arranged within th'e hoop; and the invention consists of two hoops, coneutrically arranged, ,so that the image or equivalent device supported within one of the hoops shall be opel'atedV by the rotation of the other, through the intervention of rollers, levers, and connecting-rods,'or equivalents, substantially ashereinafter fully set forth.

In the drawing, A B represent two hoops, made of any suitable material, preferably, however,.of wood, on

account of its cheapness and lightness, one of which is arranged concentrically within the other, so as to leave a space, @between the two, These hoops. are maintained'in their proper relative position bymeans of guidepiates d d, attached to the outer hoop, A, and overlapping the sides er entirely surrounding the inner,hoop,-with guide or friction-rollers e e mounted between them, and engaging with the periphery of the inner hoop as the outer one rotates. V

F is an image', supported" in any suitable manner within the hoop B, being represented in the drawing as attached to a cross-piece, G.

Y The image or images may be of any desired and suitable character, such asa man, horse, or other animal, or several combined, with or without other appendages. i l i For imparting the required motion to the legs or other portions of" the image, I employ the following mechanism: t'i are two levers, hinged at one end in suitable slots inthe inner and relatively stationary hoo'p B, so as to freely play therein. The other end of these levers is connected to the legs or other parts of the image,-A

to be actuated by suitable connecting-rods, These levers being arranged in the lower portion of the hoop B, the gravity of the free or movable ends thereof, together with that of the connectingrods, causes them to decline through their respective slots, so as to be nearly in contact with the outer hoop, except when elevated by the action of the rollers e' e as the outer hoop is rotated.

The lower edge of the levers, or that against which the rollers engage, is made 'of suitable form, so as to impart to the leg, which is jointed at the thigh and knee, a lmotionlimitative of' the natural movement in walking. As the outer hoop rotates in the direction indicated by the arrow, a roller, e, coming in contact with the lower edge of the lever at the pivoted end, will forcev the free end of the same upward, which, by means of the connecting-rod z', will cause the leg to advance or oscillate forward. The length of the lever should 'bc so graduated,v that when the leg has advanced the required distance, the roller will have passed the end of the former, or the point of greatest eccentricity, so as to permit the parts to suddenlyor gradually'returnto their normal position, as required. The two levers 'are arranged, onev in advance of the other, so that the rollers will act successively on them, and thereby produce the required successive movement to the legs. The levers or arms attached thereto should extend back sufficiently far to prevent the connecting-'rods z' getting in line of the dead` centres.

The distance betweenthe rollers e should'be made to correspond with the length ofthe step or other move'- ment the image is required to make. I

It is evident that La rigid pin, cam, or an incline,-can be used instead of theroller e, although the friction- Would thereby be considerably increased. 1

It is alsoiapparent, that by the use of other levers and connecting-rods, Sto., or by other reds attached to the same levers, and connecting with the arms or other parts of the image or images, a corresponding motion may likewise be communicated to them.

Springs may also be employed to modify or produce the required movements, and other and equivalent mechanism, operated by the saine principle, can be substituted for the levers e, and accomplish substantially the same or an equivalent result.

The toy is held and operated by a handle, J, attached to the inner hoop, as shown in Fig. I, having a slot or divided end where fastened to the hoop, to permit the outer hoop to rotate therein, or the handle may be formed as represented in Fig. II, and attached to the cross-piece G, at right angles thereto, on each side of the image. With the former method of attaching the handle, the hoop is designed to be rolled upon the ground by pushing in front of the child. With 'the other method, the, hoop rolls by the side, as in trundling an ordinary hoop, the image, when of proper size, keeping step, or nearly so, with the operator, and thereby producing a most pleasing automaton-companion for children.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The relatively stationary hoop B, supporting an image or images, in combination with an outer concentric and rotating hoop, A, provided with rollers e e, or their equivalent, which gives motion to the image through intermediate levers 7L and connecting-rods z', or their equivalent, substantially as set forth.

JOHN L. LAY.

Witnesses:

W. J. CHAMBERLAIN, BYRON S. 'Hmmm 

